Canada, US and Mexico win the rights to Host the 2026 Football World Cup

The 2026 World Cup will be a North American showcase after the United States, Canada, and Mexico won the rights to host the tournamaent on Wednesday with a joint bid.The 'United 2026' bid was selected by Fifa member nations, winning 134 votes compared to 65 votes for rivals Morocco.This will not be the first time the World Cup has been hosted in North America, with Mexico hosting the World Cup in both 1970 and 1986, while the United States hosted the 1994 tournament, whereas Canada hosted the 2015 Women's World Cup.This victory comes at a time when tensions between North American nations are high, with relations between the nations becoming more divisive, no thanks to the Trump Administration. US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro stated, that "Football is the only victor. We are all united in football."Somewhat controversially, the 2026 World Cup will be the largest ever held, with 48 teams taking part, with 80 matches being played over 34 Days. There will be 16 host cities, with 10 being in the US and 3 being in both Mexico and Canada. Further controversy may arise as it has not been decided by Fifa whether each host nation will be guaranteed qualification at the tournament, as normally is the case.Economically the World Cup will generate £10.3bn in revenue and supposedly result in a £8.1bn profit for Fifa.The unfortunate losers in the bid for the 2026 World Cup, were again Morocco. Their failure represents the fifth time they have been overlooked by Fifa. Morocco's bid was not without controversy itself, with there being an investigation into members of its football association, along with doubts about Stadiums and lack of infrastructure already in place. As we know Fifa wants to distance themselves from as much controversy as possible, and the 'United 2026' bid very much seemed the safe bet following the controversy surrounding the Russian and Qatar bids for this year's World Cup and the 2022 tournament. Image rights - Wikimedia Commons